


A Soulmate That Almost Wasn't

by Mythological Freak (starfreckledchild), starfreckledchild



Series: A Garden of Bloom and Doom [2]
Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Cerberus is such a good boy, Don't Examine This Too Closely, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, Happy Ending, I've decided, Is this a meet-cute?, Meet-Cute, except it's not so normal, just fluff i'm sorry bye, just normal people living their normal life, these two dorks think they can beat destiny, they are not gods, this is a meet-cute, this is super short like for real, what is even a meet-cute?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:14:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27040048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starfreckledchild/pseuds/Mythological%20Freak, https://archiveofourown.org/users/starfreckledchild/pseuds/starfreckledchild
Summary: Inspired by a prompt from Tumblr: In a soulmate AU where people are born with the date they're going to meet their soulmate written in their wrist, two soulmates are complete skeptics. They both stay at home on the day they're meant to meet to prove it's all a farce.*maniacally grins*
Relationships: Hades & Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Series: A Garden of Bloom and Doom [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1971556
Comments: 41
Kudos: 214





	1. The Unfortunate Leak

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on a creative roll this evening folks. Chapter two is mostly finished already. 
> 
> Enjoy :p

Rubbish. Complete and utter _rubbish_.

“Oh come on Persephone, you don’t really believe politicians care about who you end up marrying and spending the rest of your life with, do you?” Eros teased, settling down on the couch next to Persephone with a bowl of candy.

It was 8:00 pm, October 31st. The day mockingly engraved on Persephone’s inner wrist in bold digits since birth. The day she was supposed to meet her fated soulmate.

Except, Persephone did not believe in such a thing as soulmates. And she was about to prove her point by staying home for the whole day.

“Eros, we’ve gone over this. This is just some bullshit made up to make people feel content. Happy people don’t start revolutions or demand civil rights. I refuse to believe that the universe gives two shits about my individual happiness and anyone who believes such a thing is an idiot.” She spoke haughtily, in that irritated tone she acquired whenever she addressed the topic. “No offense.” She added quickly, throwing Eros a side glance and smiling sheepishly.

Eros, who had found his so-called “soulmate” last year, shrugged nonchalantly. He, who had been Persephone’s best friend for years now, was already used to her skepticism. There were no changing stubborn people like her, and Eros was _certain_ that one day she would have to take back all of her words. And that day was today. How exactly that would happen escaped him, but he did not claim to understand the underlying forces at work that brought soulmates together. “You’re a sad woman.” He laughed, poking at her side. “When was the last time you got dicked down? Like, a real good dicking?” He teased her further, falling over in laughter when he saw her frown deepen and a blush color the tips of her pierced ears.

Persephone shoved Eros even further down the couch, snatching a chocolate bar from the bowl. “Shut up, you bitch.” She growled and sank back into the couch, pulling her knees to her chest and placing her chin on them. Unwrapping the chocolate bar, Persephone stared at it in quiet contemplation, not having given the question much thought until now.

When had been the last time she had sex?

When she was able to trace back eight months and possibly even more without more than just the help of her favorite pink vibrator, she knew it had definitely been way too long.

It had happened gradually, without her taking notice of it. Ever since her breakup with her last boyfriend almost three years ago, Persephone’s interest in casual dates had dimmed and along with it her desire for one-night stands. But almost a year without sex seemed extreme even to her. Something had changed. Whether she found herself busier with work at the flower shop she ran with her mother and her studies, she could not tell. She hadn’t felt busier than usual.

“You don’t even know, do you?” He sighed, and Persephone sighed with him, taking a bite out of her chocolate.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. After I broke things up with He Who Shall Not Be Named, everything seemed fine for a time. I don’t even know when it happened, but I just lost interest in seeing other people.” She confessed. She hadn’t thought about her ex-boyfriend for almost two years now. And with good reason. That relationship had taken almost everything out of her, and she despised him just as much as she had despised herself for keeping up with it.

Eros’s gaze softened at that.

“He doesn’t get to hurt you anymore, Kore.” He said reassuringly, placing a hand on her knee and squeezing it affectionately. Persephone smiled and nodded.

“That’s the thing, I don’t feel like it’s his fault. I am ok, genuinely. Took me some time, but I am finally free of him. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t want to date anymore. Is that strange?” She asked, turning her head to him. Eros had always been the most emotionally mature of them. The one she could rely on. Especially back then, when the world seemed to be so big, and she so small. Hermes was a wild spirit, settling down nowhere, and Artemis had the emotional development of a rock.

It had taken Persephone a great deal of therapy and time to understand that what her ex had done to her had been wrong and that she could get better. But now she _was_ better. Had been for a long time.

Eros eyed her suspiciously, and Persephone felt something akin to dread swirl in her stomach. “You know,” He started, the telltale signs of a grin spreading across his all-too-perfect face. “That’s exactly how I started feeling a couple of months before I met Psyche.” He finished, that shit-eating grin on full display now.

Persephone stilled, then groaned.

“Back with this bullshit, fuck no.” She rolled her eyes, mindlessly throwing a decorative cushion at him. “I already told you, I don’t believe in soulmates. As a matter of fact, look at the time. It’s almost 8:30, and I’ve only talked with you and Artemis today. Seems like the universe is going to have a hard time trying to pair me up with what, a wall?” She smirked, confident that she was finally going to prove to everyone how stupid it was to believe in fate and something as the “perfect partner”.

Eros rolled his eyes this time. “Whatever you say, young lady. This will all backfire one of these days, I’m telling you Persephone.”

And with that, he stood up and hugged her goodbye.

It was Halloween after all, and Aphrodite, his eccentric mother, threw an adult-only, RSVP, smash of a party every year.

Persephone almost regretted not going, but she knew she could always go the next year. Tonight, she had a purpose.

_Sigh, only four more hours to go Persephone._

But then…

_Drip_

She jumped, startled, and immediately brought her fingers to the wet spot on her forehead. A drop of water. She frowned and looked up.

_Drip drip drip_

And just as if the universe was mocking her for believing herself above it, the dripping continued as she sat there, a bewildered look on her face.

“What the actual fudge?” She whispered, standing up, and staring at the drip from the ceiling as if it had personally offended her. A wet patch was forming on the spot on her couch where the drops were falling, and her ceiling wasn’t looking any better.

How in the world had she not noticed the leak before?

Groaning, Persephone walked over to the phone attached to her kitchen wall and dialed the building’s maintenance line. She picked at her nails as it rang, leaning against the kitchen counter in nothing but her pajamas.

_One, two, three clicks buzz_

_“Hello?”_ A gruff voice came from the other line.

“Yeah, sorry, I’m from apartment 10G, I’m calling because I just found a leak on the ceiling of my living room, and I think it’s coming from the apartment above mine.” She explained, balancing the phone between her head and shoulder as she stared at the wall in front of her.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but we’re not operating tonight.” The man responded, seemingly annoyed. Persephone narrowed her eyes.

“Well, and when can someone come up and check it? It’s rather urgent.” She added a sweet lilt to her voice in hopes of winning him over. It was easier to attract flies with honey than with vinegar, after all, a lesson taught to her by years of experience working at customer service.

“Uh, I think someone should be available next Monday.” Came the lazy drawl, and if she had to guess, this man had been sleeping before she called.

“What? Next Monday? But it’s Thursday! I can’t wait five days, there’s a leak on my ceiling!” She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air for emphasis, even though she was fully aware he could not see her.

“I’m sorry, but ma’am there’s nothing I can do.Everyone’s been dispatched for the night, and all the technicians have a tight schedule on Saturday.” He spoke, and Persephone could tell he didn’t really care about her leak or her furniture.

“What about Sunday?” She meekly asked. It was a stretch, she was 99.99% sure they didn’t work on Sundays. But she didn’t lose anything by trying.

“Ma’am, we don’t work on Sundays.” He explained to her as one might explain a five-year-old why they couldn’t go outside. “I’m sorry. Have a goodnight.” He said hurriedly and hung up the phone, the click resonating inside her head.

Persephone stood there, undignified and righteously angered.

“Next fudging Monday! Maintenance ain’t cheap in this goddamned building for them to be pulling this sort of shit on me!” She spat, forcefully slamming the phone down on the receiver. With pursed lips, she assessed the situation.

She was nothing if not practical.

She ended up moving the couch from the leak’s path and placing a plastic container to catch the drops.

Happy with her work, she sat down on her couch and caught up with some series she had been meaning to watch for some time now.

After a few too many hours staring at her screen, Persephone stood up and stretched her arms over her head, she turned the lights off and stifling a yawn, decided to call it a night and headed to bed. The sooner this day ended, the happier she would be.

She had barely closed her eyes properly when it happened.

_Drip_

Her eyes snapped open immediately.

“Ah!” She screamed, vexed, shooting up instantly, and sitting down. “This has got to be some fucking joke! Here too?”

And indeed, when she looked up, a fat drop of water landed on her nose.

God, she really hoped that wasn’t some toilet leaking onto her bed.

She stood up from her bed and with horror, realized the ceiling wasn’t only leaking on her bed, but multiple other spots too.

She pressed two fingers to her forehead and muttered a curse.

After what felt like hours, but was truthfully just minutes, she had managed to place most of the potted plants scattered across her apartment under each drip. Might as well put the bothersome leaks to use.

She tried to catch some sleep. She really, _really_ tried. But her bed was too heavy for her to move on her own, and the goddamned drip-pity-drip was driving her up the motherfudging wall.

Catching a glance at the digital clock on her nightstand, she decided it wasn’t _that_ late to knock on her neighbor’s door. Also, their fucking apartment was leaking onto hers, and she wasn’t going to wait until Monday to have it fucking fixed.

What exactly she planned to do besides inform of them of the drip was something she had not thought of. But Persephone wasn’t exactly running off reason and logic at the moment. Any other day, she would have just driven to her mother’s house, bake some cookies, and introduce herself to her neighbor properly. But this wasn’t some other day.

This was _the_ day.

Again, she was nothing if not practical. So, with any thoughts about the reason why she had decided to lock herself up in her apartment for the day vanished from her mind, she opened her door and stepped out into the hallway, and into the elevator, hitting the button for the eighth floor.

She walked cautiously down the hallway. She had never been on the eighth floor before, and it occurred to her at that moment, that she hadn’t even known someone had moved in there. It had been empty when she arrived last year and had she known someone had moved in, she would have introduced herself with some baked goods. Just like she did with the rest of the building.

There was only one apartment.

_You’ve got to be kidding me, the fucking leak is coming from a penthouse? Do penthouses even leak? What if the apartment is actually empty?_

She knocked on the door decisively and perhaps, just maybe, a little too harshly. But who could blame her? She had been angered, tired, _and_ irritated before this whole leaking fiasco.

When the door opened a few minutes later and she came face to face with her eighth floor neighbor for the first time, Persephone realized it had never occurred to her that perhaps, leaving her apartment that night, with some minutes till midnight still pending on the clock, might have been a dumb idea.


	2. The Unexpected Knock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, chapter two isn't very eventful. You might notice these little stories I'm writing aren't very elegant or intricate. They are just short little things to keep me busy, so I'm sorry if this is not the quality content you looking for. 
> 
> Tags have been updated, although their content will be reflected on the next chapter :)

Hades looked at the small number on the top right corner of the screen blink for the umpteenth time that night.

11:30 pm

He almost smiled triumphantly at the fact as he sat on his bed, Cerberus, his faithful dog, his only companion in the empty apartment. Thirty more minutes to go, and he would have finally proved to every opinionated family member of his that soulmates were, in fact, a bunch of bullshit made up by the government to keep stupid people at bay.

It was not that he didn’t believe in love, but he couldn’t wrap his head around being tied to somebody else by an unbreakable bond forged by destiny.

Sounded like a bunch of gibberish to him.

It didn’t matter that his two younger siblings were already married, as a matter of fact, the marriage of at least one of them was all the evidence Hades needed in order to refute any argument that could ever be raised about the matter. If soulmates were real, Zeus and Hera wouldn’t be so miserable stuck in a marriage that was only painful.

And yet…and yet she still loved him.

That much he knew, but he didn’t pretend to understand the way Hera’s mind worked or the strange and fickle thing that was her heart.

Poseidon on the other hand, he supposed, was alright. He and Amphitrite were… happily married? It was difficult to tell with them.

And then there was Minthe. Now, _that_ had been a complete and utter shit-show.

Perhaps, others were happy, fancying themselves in love with their “soulmate". But not him. No sir, he did not believe in such a ridiculous concept as—

_knock knock_

His laughter died down on his throat and a heavy feeling settled on his stomach. Why? He could not tell. Cerberus sat down, suddenly alert. Hades frowned, wondering who could have been knocking on his door this late. There was no way anyone’s kid was still out in the hallways Trick-or-Treating. Right?

No. It wasn’t that.

With an impending sense of doom, Hades closed his laptop, any corporate emails he might have entertained himself with forgotten.Cerberus whined as he saw Hades stand up from the comfort of the bed, but followed obediently behind his master’s footsteps.

He assessed the door as one might look at a wild animal. Who the fuck could it be?

And then he opened it.

And… there was no one there.

He frowned, about to close the door, when he heard someone clear their throat from somewhere in front of him. Hades’ frown deepened even further as he lowered his eyes down, and lower and lower and then…A shock of bright pink hair.

It was like a zap of electricity shooting through his veins. The force of the waves knocking him over. An all too strong wind current pushing him down and over himself. Sunlight straight into his eyes, forcing him to look down and even then, he could see it, feel it.

It was terrible and perfect and it was…a woman.

_Well, fuck_

A short little thing, and so captivatingly beautiful he could actually feel his neurons tripping over themselves to make sense out of the situation. He couldn’t even remember if he had been bothered about someone knocking on his door so late.

And she looked angry too. Very angry.

“Um, hello?” He said, tongue heavy on his mouth. Everything inside of him told him to get down to his knees and kiss the ground where she stepped. To pull her closer and kiss the freckles that adorned her cherubic face. To smell the scent of her hair, taste the salt in her skin.

_What. The. Actual. Fuck._

That’s when panic settled in.

He had opened the door before midnight. This was it. He felt lost and shocked in the way only a person whose fundamental beliefs had been proven wrong could feel. This woman, this tiny, infuriatingly beautiful woman was his destiny. And he did not know how to feel about it. He, who had mocked everyone else for believing in such a thing, was for the very first time utterly speechless.

And if the dazed look on her face was any indication, he wasn’t the only one feeling like he’d been zapped by lightning.

“Your pipe is dripping on me.” She blurted out, suddenly. Hades blinked twice, pulled out of the trance he’d been in. A pipe. _His_ pipe. Dripping _on_ her. He had to stifle a groan at the unbidden mental image that hit him like a truck. 

“Uh, sorry, what?” 

She seemed to realize too what she’d just said, her eyes, the most intricate shade of mossy hazel, grew wide open. A blush decorated her honeyed cheeks.“I-I mean, my name’s Persephone.” She tried again, offering her hand, which seemed so much tinier besides his own. Hades took her hand carefully, treating it as one would treat a precious object of irreplaceable value. Her skin was warm. He felt like kissing it.

Holding her hand felt like holding the whole world in his hands.

“Hades.” He responded, hoping she wouldn’t pull away yet.

He had been an idiot. Dreading this day for so long. Dreading meeting _her_. If only he had known.

“I’m sorry for knocking so late b-but I think your apartment is leaking onto mine.” She confessed, looking rather embarrassed. “I live on the floor below.”

All this time, they’d been living in the same building. And he had thought she didn’t exist. How many times had they crossed each other unknowingly? What if he had just looked down from his phone and his emails for a moment? Would he have noticed her?

He had to say something. Do something.

“Oh.” Was all he could say. Stupid brain giving up on him when he needed it the most. “I was not aware of. I’m sorry.” _Sorry for what? Leaking pipes?_ “I-I mean I can get a plumber to fix that first thing in the morning, would that be ok?” He stared at her expectantly.

“Yes, that would be perfect.” She said, breathlessly. And then, “May I come in?”


	3. The Preeminence of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.” -Max Muller.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, life hit me like a truck the past weeks. I seriously wanted to finish this book with some sweet and wholesome smutty fluff, but I don't know what the hell happened. I think the smut was a stretch, honestly. But don't worry, I have something I've been slaving over for months with some juicy smut that's almost read, so wish me luck!
> 
> Have a nice day y'all and take care!

Persephone did not believe in soulmates.

No. She refused to. It couldn’t be. _Then why do you have that stupid look on your face? And most importantly, why the BUTTERSCOTCH did you ask if you could come in?_

But she had. And now a looming silence had settled in between them, and if Persephone could, she would have buried her head six feet under the polished marble at her feet. She felt smaller than ever as he towered over her, but not in a bad way. She just, felt fragile and vulnerable, like there was an open wound inside her chest as his expressive blue eyes settled on hers.

She gulped, heat rushing to her ever blushing cheeks.

…this was not supposed to happen.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid for going out before midnight!_ And yet she felt happy she had. She felt happy being here. For some inexplicable reason, she felt a certain pull towards this man, like a gravitational force demanding her attention. A strange pressure found its way to her lungs, sitting on them and stopping her breath short. She could barely think. She was, positively, in a cloud.

“Err, I, of course, please.” He stuttered, clumsily moving his large body out of the doorway for her to cross.

She stepped inside without giving it a second thought.

_What are you doing? You’re still in your pajamas! And he’s a total stranger!_ Her heartbeat frenetically inside her chest, thudding along with the sound of the door closing. She waited for the click of the lock to come, but it never did. He had purposefully left the door unlocked, and that calmed her a little bit.

Persephone turned around to face him.

“I-, H-have we met before?” She spoke quickly, hugging herself, conscious of her bare feet and slightly ridiculous PJs. “I j-just feel like I know you from somewhere. Is that weird?” Their eyes met as her mouth closed. Her chest burned with something she could not place, and she willed herself to ignore the urge to stare at his wrist. Just one look.

_Even if the date on his wrist matches mine, it means nothing. I will go back to my apartment, back to my life. And he to his._

“I’m sure I would have remembered,” He chuckled, out of breath too. And his voice. Fates help her, his _voice_. The deep baritone rasp of it brought goosebumps to the bare skin of her arms. Her lips quivered. Her stomach clenched. A warm current slid down her spine, causing her to shiver. “But I feel the same too. Or at least, I feel as if I _should_ know you.” He admitted, and her knees almost gave out.

Persephone stilled herself and mustering enough courage she brought her wrist up, its inside facing him. His eyes zeroed on it immediately. “I don’t, didn’t, believe in any of this bullshit,” She began, tongue trying to twist her words. But she soldiered on, even when every nerve ending on her body screamed at her to just shut up and throw herself in his arms. Into his life. “But I don’t understand it. It’s like…” She stopped, suddenly a wave of laughter washing over her. She giggled at how stupid she had been.

Persephone did not want to go back to her apartment. She did not want to ignore the fluttering inside her stomach. And most importantly, she did not want this gigantic man out of her life so soon.

And then he spoke too, taking a step towards her, raising his own wrist too. And Persephone saw. The date that was written down on his wrist. October 31st, 2019. “It’s like you’re exactly the person I’d been looking for, without knowing it.” He completed it for her.

She inhaled sharply, not knowing what to do with the knowledge. Her body trembled. She had fought against this very moment her whole life and now, her evident defeat in sight, she knew she didn’t have any more strength within herself to fight it any longer. These overwhelming feelings were above her, and she knew nothing about this man beside his name, and that his fucking pipes were leaking onto her apartment, but she _knew_ she wanted to know more about him. She knew she wanted to find out how long it took him to fall asleep. If he was a morning person or not. How he had his coffee, what his voice sounded like when he’d just woken up.

She wanted to find out the taste of his mouth, the warmth of his arms.

Hades was the first one to laugh. “I really thought this was just some crap made up by the government.” He admitted, a shy smile on his face. Persephone noticed the dimple on his right cheek, and her heart skipped a beat.

“Me too.” She whispered as she recognized these feelings for what they were.

_Stupidity_ at first sight.

And even then, she wanted to laugh at herself. How idiotic. How could such a frivolous thing exist? Love couldn’t bloom on such a superficial basis, surely? And yet, the metaphorical rug had been pulled from under her feet.

_I don’t care. I have the rest of my life to fall in love with him. Every bit of him._

“But, but what does it mean? For us, I mean, not that there is an _us_ , unless, unless of course, _you_ want there to b-“ He rambled, running a hand through his dark locks, and Persephone was possessed by something beyond her to laugh loudly and close the distance between them, yanking him down by the collar of his nightshirt and stamping her mouth against his.

If she could have exploded at that moment, she was sure she would have.

She grinned into the kiss, and she must have gone mad, because she pulled him closer still and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to this stranger as if her life depended upon it. But she was still very much just a human being, and not long after, she couldn’t just ignore the pressure building upon inside her longs, demanding she pulls away.

And she did just that.

His eyes snapped open, mouth open as he panted. He looked like a mess, and so did she no doubt.

_Well this surely was not part of the plan_

“Does that answer your question?” She muttered, afraid that is she rose her voice or did as much as move an _inch_ her knees would fail her, and her tongue would tie itself down her throat and she would choke and die right there and then. And that was her being optimistic.

The man, Hades, gave her a lopsided smile, that goddamned dimple making its appearance again and positively sending her down a spiral. _Gods I want to kiss that stupid dimple._

_“_ Hmm, I’m not convinced.” He laughed, stealing a quick kiss from her. Persephone’s eyes widened at the unexpected peck, and she couldn’t help the smile forming across her face. She was behaving like a damn school girl.A very promiscuous schoolgirl, who threw herself at her neighbors, but that was a matter for another day.

“Oh, you’re a scoundrel! 30% scoundrel!” She squealed, delighted as he stole another kiss from her. She huffed, overwhelmed, and he laughed. “I don’t even _know_ you, mister!” She spat, turning her head away in mock indignation.

His arms tightened around her waist, _when had those snuck around there anyway?_ as he pulled her closer against his chest. Persephone’s smile faded as their eyes met, her heart lodged at her throat. His face was serious. Dead serious.

“I’m Hades Aóratos. I’m a 36 years old certified workaholic and control freak who would probably use some vacations, but I won’t because I’m too stubborn.” He said sheepishly, and Persephone had to fight down a silly smile. “And I didn’t believe in soulmates. Until now, because seeing you Miss Persephone, is like catching a glimpse of the sun for the first time. And fuck, I’m probably going to kick myself tomorrow for sounding so schmaltzy, but I didn’t know the world was gray until I saw how bright and _pink_ your hair is. And I don’t know what I’m doing, but I want to find out because this feels right. This feels right like nothing has ever done before, and even though I’m incredibly confused right now, you’re the only thing that makes sense. Is that weird?” He confessed voice caught on his throat, sounding so exposed, so vulnerable that Persephone had _never_ in her 25 years felt so overcome with emotion. So seen. So appreciated as she did in that exact same moment.

She felt like a precious thing, and for the first time, someone was holding onto her like they never wanted to let go.

She couldn’t help bursting into tears.

And of _fucking course_ he had to be the most tender creature as he dabbed his thumb under her waterline, picking up the salty drops from the apple of her cheeks.

“No, it’s not that weird. I know someone who happens to feel the same way.” She cried, hugging herself closer to him. “My name’s Persephone Sitirá.” She stalled a little, not knowing how to give him a quick resume of her life minus all the drama. There would be more than enough time for that freak show later. “I’m 25, and I have a master's in biochemistry, but it’s just for decoration because I work with my mother at a plant nursery selling flowers. I’ve been called loud, but I prefer the word enthusiastic. I’m an inveterate overachiever and perfectionist with the most dramatic and overly-protective mother in the world. And I happen to really, really, _really_ like you Mr. Aóratos despite having just met you.” The words came out like water from a tap left open, and she had to gasp for air. “And the truth is, I thought this was all just a bunch of gibberish, but I feel _something_ right now I’ve never felt before and I’m scared. But I want to find out what it is.”

Whatever courage had allowed her to blurt all that outran cold as soon as she saw the expression on his eyes.

They had to be the most expressive pair of eyes she had ever seen.

“May I kiss you, Persephone?” He whispered, but he barely had time to finish before Persephone was nodding enthusiastically, standing on her tippy-toes and even then barely reaching his chest.

With a laugh, he leaned down and pressed his lips against her own.

And after that? It was all a blur.

Or could have been a blur, had it not been for the sudden intrusion of a furry head against her leg, followed by a curious bark. Persephone pulled away, mind still hazy from the addicting feeling of his mouth on hers only to discover the biggest and most adorable dog she had ever seen in her life.

“Oh my God! Aren’t you the cutest boy!” She preened, extricating herself from Hades’ arms and turning her attention fully towards the dog. The dog wagged its tail excitedly at her, and she couldn’t help but reach down to pat his head.

However, Hades stopped her before she could. She looked up, confused, her wrist tingling where he touched her.

Hades cleared his throat, offering her a devastatingly handsome lopsided grin. “Um, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Cerberus might look friendly, but it’s all a trap.” He said, throwing a dirty look at the dog, who just stared at the two of them with its tongue hanging out of its dark mouth.

Persephone laughed, pulling her hand up and bringing his hand to her lips, where she placed a delicate kiss. Hades’ breath hitched at the hot pressure of her puckered mouth.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” She whispered with a tiny smile before offering her hand once again to the awaiting dog. “Come on Cerberus, is that your name? What a handsome name you have, it must have been given to you by a very handsome man, hmm?” She crooned, throwing Hades a playful side glance as she said that last part. She observed with delight how the smallest hint of a blush crept up his cheeks.

Before Hades could understand whatever was going on, Persephone was on her knees, rubbing his dog’s belly like she’d known him since he was a puppy.

His jaw literally dropped.

“Color me impressed, woman.” He remarked, running a hand through his thick, dark hair, a wide smirk on his face. Persephone’s heart thundered at the sight of his dimple. He had such a becoming smile, and she couldn’t believe this man was tied to her, in some way. That someday, he could belong to her, and she liked the thought of one day, belonging to him too.

“Hmm, what can I say. I get along better with plants and animals than I do with people.” She shrugged, delivering more loving caresses onto the receptive dog. “And besides, Cerberus is the best boy! Aren’t you the best boy? Yes, you are!”

Cerberus barked in agreement, earning a loud giggle from the tiny woman in his foyer.

Hades couldn’t help looking at her with literal hearts in his eyes, he was sure. He’d been caught off guard, thrown for a loop. It felt strange, seeing Persephone in his apartment, playing with his dog, as if she had somehow always been there, even though they’d just met.

Their eyes met once again, and through some mutual, silent agreement shared between them, they both knew everything would be alright. That this was somehow just the beginning of something wonderful.


End file.
